Siddhartha Mitra

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Professor

Email: [[v|mitras]]
Phone: (804) 684-7105
Office: Watermen's Hall 248
Section: Coastal & Ocean Processes
Interests: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, black carbon in the environment, global carbon cycle, biogeochemical cycling, environment chemistry

Education

1997 Ph.D. Marine Science, School of Marine Science/Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary
1990 M.S. Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology
1988 B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Lehigh University

About

My dissertation research while pursuing a Ph.D. at VIMS focused on a group of compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Elizabeth River. The training and mentorship I received from my primary advisor at the time, Dr. Rebecca Dickhut (now deceased), and Dr. Linda Schaffner, prepared me to take on almost any natural science question across spatial and temporal time scales, as long as an organic molecule was involved. An organic molecule is always a primary character in the narrative of my work. So, when asked what I do for my research, I respond, "I use organic molecules to tell stories", a friendly way of saying I'm an organic geochemist. Here is a video of ongoing research currently being conducted by my students at East Carolina University, my former institution.